5th District candidates hope for presidential endorsements

Republican Santos looks to Trump while Democrat Hayes would like Obama support

BY BRUNO MATARAZZO JR. REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

The gubernatorial story: President Trump has not tweeted any endorsement in the 5th Congressional District, but he has in the Connecticut gubernatorial race. The day after the primary, Trump tweeted his support for Republican Bob Stefanowski.

Ben Proto, who was Trump’s campaign coordinator for Connecticut in 2016, said he’s not sure if that endorsement came from a request by the Republican Governors Association, the campaign or if Trump did it on his own.

The endorsement predated the arrival of Stefanowski campaign spokesman Kendall Marr, who said he was not sure how it came about.

WATERBURY – The race for the 5th District Congressional seat, open for the taking, has pitted two notably different candidates who can agree on one point:

They’d love a White House-connected endorsement.

How much that would matter for Republican Manny Santos of Meriden or Democrat Jahana Hayes of Wolcott on Election Day is a matter for political watchers to debate. Their interest in landing the public support of either President Donald Trump, for Santos, or former President Barack Obama, for Hayes, speaks to the state of their campaigns as October, a high-stakes month of campaigning, rolls in.

Both will be in Prospect on Thursday for a private debate sponsored by the Waterbury Regional Chamber.

Santos – a former one-term mayor of Meriden, a Marine and veteran of the Persian Gulf War, and a Trump supporter – so far has not been among the candidates bestowed an endorsement tweet from Trump. The president has fired off several. On a recent Saturday, he tweeted three endorsements in a row: for incumbents Pete Sessions of the 32nd House District in Texas and Keith Rothfus of the 12th House District in Pennsylvania, and challenger Danny Tarkanian of Nevada, who is running for an open seat in the 3rd House District in Nevada.

“He is Strong on Crime, the Border and our under siege 2nd Amendment,” Trump tweeted about Tarkanian. “Danny Loves our Military and our Vets. He has my total and complete Endorsement.”

“Who wouldn’t want (Trump’s) endorsement?” Santos said, when asked about the chances of the president’s social media support.

Ben Proto, who was Trump’s campaign coordinator for Connecticut in 2016, said receiving an endorsement typically begins with asking for one.

“They probably want some information,” he said. “They’d look at the race – the political aspect of it.”

Endorsements are not done on a whim and there are many issues Trump’s organization may have in deciding whether to grant one. Proto said the process is no different from previous presidents.

Gary Rose, chairman of the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies at Sacred Heart University, said Trump seems to be selective in his endorsements and may not want to endorse a candidate with a slim chance of winning.

“He doesn’t put his name out there unless he really feels the candidate is very viable,” Rose said. “Trump knows his name is on the line.

“I just think this race is looked upon as one that may not be to the president’s advantage to jump in,” he added about the 5th District.

Certainly, the state Republican Party has showed little public support or push for Santos since his comfortable primary win. State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano declined to comment about Santos’ chances for national support, saying he has no control over individual races.

Santos has been endorsed by the right-leaning National Right to Life, but his appearances have been few or low-key on the campaign trail; he routinely has declined to speak with reporters or return calls seeking interviews or comment; he lags considerably behind his opponent in fundraising.

Rose, who lives in the 5th District in Cheshire, called Santos “the invisible man” for running a “lackluster campaign.”

His opponent, Hayes, also has not landed an endorsement from her definition of presidential assistance: one from Obama, whom she met when she was named National Teacher of the Year in 2016.

While former presidents typically stay out of politics after their presidency is over, Obama has given his nod to 81 candidates in various races, from state senator to Congress.

Hayes spokesman Andrew Doba said he wouldn’t comment on possible endorsements, “but it goes without saying that it would be an honor to receive an endorsement from President Obama.”

Hayes’ endorsements, featured in a rotating carousel on an endorsement page on her campaign website, have reached double digits and include Planned Parenthood, NARALPro-Choice, Connecticut State Police, Communications Workers of America, and both the state and national teachers’ unions.

Hayes has urged reporters to question her about her policy positions, not just her engaging life story, but she has enjoyed a ride of attention from state and national media because of her unique personal path to her candidacy, along with an engaging personality and speaking skills.

There remains a large gap in money available between the two campaigns.

The next required filing is Oct. 15, when the most recent fundraising details will be available for July 1 through Sept. 30.

As of the last available reports, Hayes had raised $461,098.34, spent $102,040.12 and had a balance of $359,058.22 through July 25, while Santos had raised $25,859.81, spent $24,280.41 and had a balance of $1,579.40.

Santos raised $24,522 from individual contributions and a $1,300 loan to himself.

Hayes raised $417,849.22 from individual contributions and $42,236.52 from other political committees that include a mix of other congressional campaign committees and PACs.

The 5th District had long been considered a swing district, a good prospect for either Republicans or Democrats depending on national trends and the mood of the increasingly unaffiliated voters. The district has stayed blue since Christopher S. Murphy – now a U.S. senator – won that congressional seat from Republican Nancy L. Johnson in 2007.

Contact Bruno Matarazzo Jr. at bmatarazzo@rep-am.com or on Twitter @RA_BrunoJr.